Today I read with relish that Grant Show, the former Melrose Place hottie who is having a bit of a career resurgence lately, will have a role on USA's Burn Notice. Thank God Grant is back, because he's only gotten hotter with time. And he's not the only one.

Just look at how sexy Grant is. And it's not like the hard-bodied rebel hotness of his younger days as Amanda Woodward's hump post. In his role as a motivational speaker on Big Love and a swinger on the sadly-departed Swingtown, he had a quiet sincerity and gravity that just added to the appeal of his increasingly craggy face.

The natural modern-day example of the hot older man is George Clooney, whose doofy long-haired turns on Facts of Life and Roseanne didn't connect with audiences. But as soon as he got gray at the temples, he became an instant sex symbol on ER.

Advertisement

Yes, it's always said that as a man gets older and more distinguished, he gets hotter. A bit of salt and pepper and some crow's feet can do wonders for a man's appearance, but there's also something about his attitude that changed that makes him exude sex appeal.

Just look at John Stamos. No, I mean really look at him! His hair is still the original color and whose face only seems to get more and more attractive as the years roll on. He even gives young buck Matthew Morrison a run for his money on Glee (and in my opinion is by far the hotter specimen). The appeal has more to do with leaving behind the mulleted goofiness of Uncle Jessie and embracing a person that is more down-to-earth, self-depreciating, and downright studly. He's not the stupid kid who you pick up in the bar anymore. Now he's the handsome, well-rounded millionaire that you want to lie next to for life.

But this newfound gravitas doesn't work for every man. Russell Crowe went from big-pecced gladiator to big-gutted phone thrower in the course of a decade. Or Val Kilmer, who no one would want to see glistening in a towel now like he was in Top Gun.

The sad thing about the delicious daddies is the double standard that it perpetuates, that guys get more handsome as the age as woman become less desirable. While that is still true, it seems to be changing as we see gorgeous natural (seeming) women like Helen Mirren and Sigourney Weaver age gracefully and maintain their sex appeal without losing a bit of their class. These aren't MILFs or (shudder) cougars, they're women who are appreciated for both their beauty and experience.

America's population is aging, so maybe there are just more attractive older people or we're just getting used to seeing more and more silver foxes (Anderson Cooper is still too young to technically qualify, but give us a John Slattery any day), but these days it seems like there is as much a place for the Grant Shows of the world as there is for the abtastic young bucks like scramp specimen Zac Efron.

So who do you think has aged exceptionally well? Who's your favorite star who was once a dud and is now a stud? Let us know (and please post pictures) in the comments.